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Crisis may rally locals around their team

Roar Guru
29th April, 2010
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Roar Guru
29th April, 2010
5

In all the furore over the NRL’s response, one aspect seems to have been be missed: It is always said that war produces stronger friendships than peace, and as such, this may be the moment that entrenches the Storm as part of the Melbourne sporting landscape.

“For we few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds blood with me shall be my brother”.

Now, I’m not for a second suggesting this is war. But if you want a group to band together, you have no greater opportunity than a common enemy that has delivered upon them a great perceived injustice.

In the face of such a perceived travesty, previous casual enemies will band together like Siamese twins.

With the bombardment of press coverage around the scandal, many Melbournians who previously had feelings towards the Storm ranging from ignorance and ambivalence are now forced to choose a side.

Certainly most will elect to now cross them of the list of relevant news items but many of these notoriously parochial “second city” dwellers will have a different reaction.

They feel not just for the players who have had this grave injustice heaped upon them, but also for them as it was “their” rugby league team.

To make matters worse this injustice has been delivered by Sydney the enemy to the north of the silt river city which are the cultural equivalent of the Hun.

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They’ve already self-rationalised that they didn’t “cheat” – they chose not to obey the arbitrary rules that were only designed to hurt clubs like the Storm and force them to be uncompetitive because it protects Sydney clubs.

They’ve become emotionally invested. They’ve moved from the rational to the passionate. From the casual interested observer to, at long last, a fan.

This crisis will draw a healthy number of passionate sports fans to the club for no other reason than they feel it the “just” response to such arbitrary injustice.

If sponsors are willing to return to clubs, after the litany of far more serious social abuses, because we the fans forgive them with such passing ease, then they will return to Melbourne and find a larger supporter base that has been forged in the fires of perceived injustice and hardship.

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